Last Thursday, a Churchill County, Nevada rancher shot and killed a mountain lion after it attacked some ducks on his property.

According to Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy, the dead lion was a 4-year-old male weighing approximately 110-pounds. Healy also confirmed that the dead lion was not the same animal that harassed some goats west of Fallon early this month.

That particular lion fled the area after being shot in the rear by a sheriff's deputy. Currently its fate is unknown.

It's estimated that there are five or fewer mountain lions residing in Nevada's Lahontan Valley where these incidents took place.

Roughly 200 lions are killed each year in Nevada. The majority are shot for recreation by hunters or killed by professionals (paid with your tax dollars) to eradicate lions from areas with deer, bighorn sheep, or livestock.

Mountain lions are an important part of the natural landscape and need to be protected. Please contact the Nevada Department of Wildlife and tell them you oppose their current mountain lion policies and want to see the species protected from hunters and trappers.